Support for Palestine in Ireland

    Throughout my trip, I noticed subtle and not-so-subtle signifiers of sides chosen in the Palestinian genocide. This was interesting to me because many places that I have been do not show outright support for Israel or Palestine. Given, I have only been in Missouri since October, but I can't think of a time in which I've seen flags, signs, or graffiti in support of either side. There were many times I noticed outright support while in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In Belfast, as a part of a peace wall, there was a line of murals signifying support for Palestinians. There were clear messages for a call to end the genocide. There were also many places in which there was graffiti in support of Palestine. This included things as simple as "Free Palestine" written in sharpie or stickers in support of boycotting those that fund the Israeli military. Many people were flying Palestinian flags outside of their houses. There were more subtle signs of support as well. I spotted many people wearing keffiyeh, which is a traditional Palestinian pattern popularized by the free Palestine movement. Many of those I saw wearing keffiyeh were older individuals, which surprised me. I'm used to younger people sporting clear signs of political support or protest, but not older people. Perhaps it is because of America's place in the genocide, but I am not used to people older than generation X having a grasp on current world events.

    I saw less support for Israel. There was a portion of a peace wall with a poster dedicated to Israel. There was also a house we passed once with multiple Israel flags being flown outside. Those were the only things I saw supporting Israel my entire trip. Even in Donegal, there were small magnets with the Palestinian flag on them being sold in support of Palestinians. This was the only signifier I saw there, but they were being sold at the front of the community center, which is an integral part of their community.

    Our first and last days in Dublin were the clearest signs of support for Palestine. While touring UCD's campus, protestors chalked on buildings, posts, and sidewalks about UCD supporting genocide. They often sported keffiyeh, particularly to keep their faces covered. We watched as cleaners slowly washed the chalk off of the surfaces while the protestors continued to write. We walked past a massive demonstration where the students had started camping. There were Palestinian flags being flown everywhere and tents littered the area. It looked like a unique placement, but we learned later that UCD campus was built to discourage large collections, specifically protests. On our last day there, I awoke bright and early to hear shouting outside of my opened dorm window. I ignored the shouts to go back to sleep. The next morning, I discovered what the shouting had been accompanied by: more chalking. This time, the chalk was in the building right next door. It had proven to be a very integral part of campus, containing a small supermarket and many food vendors. Chalk was scribbled all across the ground, the walls, and some of the furniture. When I walked into the building, the entrance was being guarded by police. Clearly, they were a bit late to the party.